Container for cigarettes and other articles



v ',fzow' July 5, 1938.

CONTAINER FOR CIGARETTES AND OTHER ARTILES K. KASTEL Filed Aug. 21, 1957 .illlulllln- .."||||||l f2 /5 .WITNESS BY @um ATTORNEYS Patented July 5, 1938 PATENT OFFICE j CONTAINER FR CIGARETTES-AND OTHER y ARTICLES Karl Kastel, White Plains, N.`Y., assigner to Gutenstein` Brothers,` Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 21, 1937, Serial No. 160,201

4 Claims.

This invention relates primarily to a metal case for containing cigarettes, but may also be utilized for containing other articles for personal use, such as cosmetics or compacts and the like. The object of the invention is to provide a case, which may be made of two sections, both of which are hinged so that each may be brought to open position but the case is so constructed that only one ,section of the case will open, that being the section of the case which faces in an upward direction, the other portion of the case being closed at such time and forming the bottom thereof. Upon reversal of the case, so that what was the bottom, becomes the top of the case, this section Lmay open to provide access tothe inside of the case. In other words, the case is so constructed that the upwardly directed section is the cover and the downwardly directed section constitutes the body. The opening of both sections is controlled by a single latch, but the case is so organized that the latch, when actuated, releases only the section of the case which is facing upwardly or in an upward direction.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the case; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the case with one section open; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional plan view of the front portion of the case; Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is anV enlarged detail section on the line 5 5 of Figs. 2 and 3 and Fig. 6 is an enlarged face View of the finger piece and its pressure spring.

The case is provided with sides 2, a front portion 3 and a back portion 4, which are suitably secured together by rivets, soldering, or otherwise to provide an open frame. Two substantially like sections 5 and are hinged to the back portion 4 of the case, the hinges carrying each section being of the same construction and is shown at 'l in connection with the section 5. Each section 5 and '6 is spring controlled, the spring exerting constant pressure upon thesections 5 and 6, tending to throw them to open position. Any spring of suitable type may be utilized for this purpose and a spring is shown at B in connection with the section 5.

In the forward portion of the case, that is, directly in back of the front 3, a housing 9 is provided consisting of the section of metal constituting the front 3 and three additional strips of metal lli, Il and l2. A finger piece I3 is mounted in the front 3 of the frame, projecting through a slot i4 formed therein. The inside of the finger piece i3 is provided with a plate l5, which is of such size as to keep the finger piece from escaping through the slot I3, but nevertheless allowing the linger piece to slide in the slot so that the heel Iii of the finger piece may be projected backwardly toward the rear wall of the housing. The finger piece is urged forwardly by the leaf spring l'l, the free end of` which bears against the plate l5 and the opposite end of which is soldered or otherwise secured at i8 to the inside surface of the front 3 of the case. r T.he finger piece is so mounted that it can be pushed inwardly, but upon being released, will be projected outwardly again by the leaf spring Il. The rear wall l2 of the housing 3 is provided with a two-part latch piece i9. This latch piece I9 is `made of a section of spring metal having a slit 2i) formed therein, forming two arms 2i and 22, each of which arms is provided at the end thereof with a latching member 23 provided at the ends thereof with hooks 24, which hooks are adapted to engage underneath the narrow strips of metal 25, which are located at the forward edge of the two sections 5 and 6 and slightly spaced therefrom in order to provide clearance for the hooks 24. The latching members 23 may move backwardly and forwardly in the recesses` 26. The latch I9, being made of spring metal, normally tends to force the latching members 23 forwardly with respect to the front 3 of the case and consequently, the latching members 23 are within the recesses 26 as deeplyas they can seat themselves and in such position, the two sections 5 and 6` are locked by the engagement of the respective latching` members 23` with the strips 25. i The finger piece i3, is not of itself, sucient in thickness, whenl pushed inwardly, to contact the latching members 23, although the heel i3 of the finger piece is aligned with the latching members 23'. The relation of the latching members 23 and the heel l5 of the finger piece i3 and the superd posed spring il is such as to provide a space 21, which normally separates the latching members 23 from being acted upon when the nger piece i3 is pushed inwardly. A gravity control member 28 is positioned in relation to the space 21 and this gravity control member, by reason of the position which it assumes, controls the opening of one or the` other sections 5 and 6. The gravity control member 28 consists of a pendulum-like member 29, which is pivoted at 30 on the resilient spring finger 3l soldered at 32 to the inside of the rear wall of the housing 9. The pendulum 29 comprises an extension 33, which is on one side of the pivot 33 and is projected forwardly to always be within the space 2l, and an extension 34, which is slightly heavier with respect to the extension 33, or weighted in relation thereto in order that the position of the extension 33 in the space 21 is controlled by the gravity position assumed by the weighted end of the extension 34. The extension 33 is provided at its free end with a pin-like projection 35. The thickness of the projection 35 and the portion of the extension 33 immediately beneath it is slightly less than the space 21 measured from the inside of the heel I6 to the plane in which the latching members 23 normally lie.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that the weighted end 34 of the pendulum 29 will always drop to its lowermost position and as it thus drops to its lowermost position, it raises the extension 33 to a position whereby the projection 35 will be aligned with the latching member 23, which cooperates with the section 5 or 6 of the case, which happens to be facing or directed upwardly. In other words, the projection 35 will align with one latching member 23 only the degree of movement given said projection 35 as to moving it beyond the slit 20, in order that the projection 35 shall be aligned with one latching member only. When the ringer piece I3 is pushed inwardly, the heel I6 thereof engages against the projection 35 and forces the projection against the latching member 23 with which it is aligned, pushing the latching member rearwardly so that the hook end thereof 24 clears the locking strip 25, whereupon the spring 8 will force this particular section to open position, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The operation of the device is such that the weighted end of the pendulum will always be down by reason of its gravity control and consequently, the projection 35 will always be up, aligned with the particular latch 23 which is directed in an upward direction and consequently, connection is made only with the latch member which is projecting upwardly when the iinger piece is pushed inwardly and this section alone will open` During such time, the other section of the case forms the bottom of the case and will hold the articles which are therein and this section will not open because of the separation last mentioned, latching member and the f heel of the linger piece I3. If the case is now reversed so that the section which was formerly the bottom of the case is directed upwardly, the act of so reversing the case causes the weighted end of the pendulum to fall, thereby shifting the opposite extension 33 and the projection 35 to align with the latching member 23, which is directed upwardly, causing the latch to release the cover when the nger piece is pressed in, the extension 35 providing the connection between the finger piece and the so upwardly projecting latching member.

The case is primarily devised for handling cigarettes, but it may be utilized for holding other articles and for this purpose may be provided with a shelf to form two compartments, in which compacts, face powders, or other articles may be carried.

I claim:

1. In a case, for cigarettes or other articles, two hinged sections, each section being adapted to move with respect to the other section, a lock for each section, a nger piece, normally spaced from said locks, a pivotally arranged gravity connecting member, adapted to interpose itself between said finger piece and one of said locks, said gravity connecting member bridging the space between said finger piece and lock and transmitting the thrust from said nger piece to said lock, independently of the other lock, to unlatch the same.

2. In a case, for cigarettes or other articles, two hinged sections, each section being adapted to move with respect to the other section, a lock for each section, a finger piece, positioned in the forward wall of the case and adapted to slide with respect to said locks, said finger piece and locks being spaced apart, an independent, gravity operated control, said control comprising a pivoted pendulum-like member, one portion thereof extending between said finger piece and one of said locks and held therebetween by the opposite weighted portion of said pendulum-like member, said pendulum-like member, when the position of the case is reversed, moving on its pivot and interposing one end thereof in alignment with the other lock.

3. In a case of the character set forth in claim 2, in which the locks are provided with oppositely facing latching members, each latching member being carried upon an arm, said arms being separated from each other and being independently movable with respect to each other.

4. In a case of the character set forth in claim 2, in which the sections of the case are provided with spring means for urging them to open position and in which the locks are provided with spring pressed latches, which normally urge such latches toward locking position, and in which the finger piece is spring pressed and urged to its outward position, one end of the gravity actuated pendulum-like member is provided with a pin, said end moving in an arc, between said latching members and said finger piece and projecting said pin in alignment with the particular latch, which is directed upwardly to form a connecting member between the nger piece and said last mentioned latch.

KARL KASTEL. 

